The invention relates to a monitoring system for monitoring a monitoring area, having an input interface for accepting monitoring images of the monitoring area, having a localization module for locating at least one moving monitoring object in the monitoring area, wherein the localization module is designed to locate a position of the monitoring object, having a definition module for defining a position-dependent protected area in the monitoring area, and having a monitoring module for monitoring the protected area. The invention also relates to a method for monitoring a monitoring area as well as a corresponding computer program.
The practice of monitoring public places, buildings, production halls etc. using monitoring cameras is frequently used nowadays. The evaluation of the image data streams generated by the monitoring cameras is often carried out by security personnel who receive said image data streams displayed on monitors and visually examine the same. As studies have shown, the attention of the security personnel being employed drops over time, so that, in statistical terms, relevant activities in the image data streams are already overlooked after approximately 20 minutes. In order to improve the monitoring security, automatic video analyses are used which examine the image data streams by means of digital image processing and can automatically detect and report relevant activities in this way. A high degree of monitoring security can be achieved from this interaction between the visual examination of the security personnel and the automated monitoring on the basis of the video analyses.
The German patent publication DE 10 2007 041 893 A1, which arguably represents the closest prior art, describes a method as well as a device for detecting and/or tracking moving objects in a monitoring scene. In the monitoring scene, a plurality of static regions are defined which are selectively observed. According to the invention, provision is made for different monitoring rules to be applied in each of the selected regions. The regions are defined as areas in the monitoring scene.